World Down Syndrome Day

Last Saturday, we celebrated World Down Syndrome Day. To mark the occasion, all children and their parents were invited to a special programme at ABS.
The main event of the day was a medical camp conducted by Project DANTAK. DANTAK is a major initiative of India’s Border Roads Organisation (BRO), established in 1961 in collaboration with Bhutan to develop infrastructure across the country. While it is best known for building roads, the Paro Airport, and supporting hydropower projects, it also organises medical camps for different communities. For this event, their team carried out general medical and dental check-ups for all the children, and they were even able to provide minor treatments on site when needed.

The day began with a small opening ceremony. The Executive Director of ABS and the Chief Officer of DANTAK both gave short speeches of appreciation. Afterwards, two children with Down syndrome from ABS had the honour of cutting the celebration cake. Many participants were dressed in blue and yellow, the colours associated with World Down Syndrome Day, which created a festive and unified atmosphere.
Following the opening, the programme began. The children were called one by one for their check-ups. While waiting, they could either attend a music class or join activities upstairs in the conference room, where I led a session.
In my room, I introduced parents and children to different forms of innate rhythmic movements. I explained their importance for development and demonstrated how parents can incorporate them into everyday routines. In another room, a social worker and I had set up a marble run for the children. Many of them enjoyed playing with it. I had expected it to fall apart fairly quickly, as it was not very stable, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it remained intact until the end of the day. The children handled it with great care—even when the marbles got stuck, they did not pull at the structure but tried to resolve the problem gently. Once families had completed the check-ups, they were offered lunch before heading home. After the programme ended and everything was tidied up, the staff also shared a meal together.